Whether you're looking for the perfect Valentine's Day date idea or just a few good laughs to distract from the sugar-coated Hallmark holiday, Chicago's theaters have you covered. From true tales of dates gone wrong to couples struggling with the zombie apocalypse, you're sure to find something to love among these eight performances.

Ahh, Lakeview. Home to nearly 100,000 Chicagoans, mostly apartment dwellers who live tightly like sardines (albeit the kind of sardines who do shots of Jeppson’s Malort at 4 a.m. bars) but are in turn rewarded with stunning lake views. It is also...

Amanda Marcheschi looked like a Rachel. Definitely Aniston-esque. She had dark, longish hair and a self-possession that cracked slightly when she spoke, revealing a touch of uncertainty. She stood at the bar in the lobby of Stage 773 in Lakeview and...

The Our Lady of the Ridge Parents Club will host its annual Night of Laughs fundraiser Saturday at the school in Chicago Ridge. It will feature local talent from the comedy sketch group AWK.
Stephanie Seweryn, a 2003 graduate of Our Lady of the Ridge, is...

Jason R. Chin, a longtime improv performer, director and instructor at iO Theater, was reported dead late Thursday. He was 46.
His death was announced via Facebook by Charna Halpern, founder and proprietor of iO.
A integral member of the comedy...

"Illumination" at the Morton Arboretum
You'll never be so happy that night falls early as when you're at Morton Arboretum's dazzling and inventive winter light show, which returns after last year's triumphant debut. So much more than an impressive array of colored bulbs, the interactive "Illumination" offers unique activities, like changing the light show by singing to the woods or hugging a tree. Through Jan. 3 at Morton Arboretum, 4100 Illinois Route 53, Lisle (630-725-2066, mortonarb.org). Doors...

In a way, theater is a year-round Halloween party — it's all about dressing up and pretending to be someone (or something) you're not. But in honor of the ghostly season, several companies offer shows with spooky twists — from straight drama to musicals, burlesque to magic shows.
"The Gravedigger": First Folio Theatre's world premiere of Joseph Zettelmaier's play provides a thoughtful look at the "monster" in Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein," as he struggles to become more human and humane....

Zombies, ghosts and psycho killers don't just haunt horror movies. This Halloween season, they're all over Chicago stages providing scares, laughs and a few racy thrills. If you dare, you can get up close with the creatures of the night at these 14 shows.
"A Nightmare on Backstreet"
In this parody of Wes Craven's "A Nightmare on Elm Street," baby killer Teddy Crooner was burned alive and now stalks the dreams of heartsick teenagers with his back-up dancers using Backstreet Boys songs and choreography....

Annoyance Theatre Photos

Before he wrote and starred in “Swingers” and went on to direct hits like “Elf” and “Iron Man,” Jon Favreau spent four years in Chicago learning improv at theaters like Second City, the Annoyance Theatre and Improv Olympic.
“Everything came from my improv training,” says Favreau from L.A.. “It was the key to performing, it was the key to writing, to editing. The whole idea of forwarding the action, playing to the top of your intelligence, that was a...

Thirty-two years ago Charna Halpern approached Del Close with an offer. He was already a renowned director in the world of comedy, and working at Second City. She had just launched the ImprovOlympic and wanted him to teach a class.
"I heard about this guy named Del, who was a genius and didn't like me," Halpern recalled, "So I went up to him and said, 'Hey, how would you like to make 200 bucks and some pot?'"
Three decades later, after such modest, not to mention illicit, beginnings, Halpern and Co....

Of all the sectors of the arts and entertainment industry in Chicago, none has seen anything close to the level of explosive growth in 2014 enjoyed by the institutions that make people laugh.
This has been easy to miss.
Unlike prestigious nonprofit institutions — which put a priority on institution-building and need to raise money, after all, for both capital campaigns and ordinary operating expenses — the comedy business is dominated by small and medium-sized for-profit enterprises....